Isaiah, Chapter 8

What does it mean to fear? I used to think fear was merely an illusion. I thought it was a crutch for the weak who used refused to take charge of their lives. As I grew older and began to realize that many things were out of my control, I began to have fear in that fact that I was not in control. Fear can be constricting if we allow it. It can prevent us from moving forward and accomplishing what God wants in our lives. In chapter 8 of Isaiah, we see that we are not to fear, but this is much easier said than done.

Isaiah teaches us here not to fear, because the Lord is in control. How can we put this into practice though? How can we rest in this knowledge when fear threatens to overtake us? This is where our discussion on Truth from Wednesday comes back into play. We must act on faith that the promise of Truth is indeed true. Lately I have been struggling with fear in the depths of the night. It is fear of both the future and making the wrong decision, as well as my past coming back to bite me. Let's look at why that fear doesn't need to be there.

11 The LORD spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said:

 12 "Do not call conspiracy
       everything that these people call conspiracy ^[f] ;
       do not fear what they fear,
       and do not dread it.

 13 The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,
       he is the one you are to fear,
       he is the one you are to dread,

         14 and he will be a sanctuary;
            but for both houses of Israel he will be
           a stone that causes men to stumble
       and a rock that makes them fall.
        And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
       a trap and a snare.

         15 Many of them will stumble;
       they will fall and be broken,
       they will be snared and captured."

 16 Bind up the testimony
       and seal up the law among my disciples.

 17 I will wait for the LORD,
       who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob.
       I will put my trust in him.

We only need fear the Lord but the only reason we need to fear Him is if He is not in our hearts, then we have the promises of God written on our hearts we have no need to fear. It is hard to put this into practice, but when we fear things other than God, it is almost like we are exhibiting a lack of faith. I am as guilty of this as anyone. I still fear that I am going to make the wrong decision when I am faced with major decisions, so much so that it can paralyze me into indecision. It is a mistake I have made in the past several times that has led to missed opportunities and lost desires. I must trust in God to pick me up though, so that in the future I won't fail again.

We must remember the three pillars that the Word is based on: Faith, Truth, and Grace. If we have them in our hearts, these three principles are intertwined and designed to eradicate our fear. If we have them in our hearts. We are still human if we feel fear, because it is only natural. With the supernatural blessing of God and these principles, however, we can alleviate these fears.

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. What is it that you fear?
   
2. Is it wrong then when we fear something?
   
3. How were the Israelites showing fear and not putting their trust in God at this time?